


Find You

by Faded_BlueEyes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Boats and Ships, Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Pirates, Sailing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faded_BlueEyes/pseuds/Faded_BlueEyes
Summary: Kageyama glances briefly at him, hands mindlessly playing with the sand around him. “Hey,” he says suddenly, making Hinata glance over at him. “When we’re older, we should travel the world together.” He always had the natural talent to know exactly what Hinata is thinking.---Nine years ago, Hinata and Kageyama made a promise. A week later, when pirates pillaged their town, Hinata thought he lost his best friend. Now, twenty-three and thriving as a merchant, Hinata's ship is attacked by pirates. They get saved by the most unlikely heroes: other pirates.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 27
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Some Proper Captain](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11891436) by [Esselle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esselle/pseuds/Esselle). 



_Hinata runs past the line of palm trees, the ground beneath his feet turning from hard gravel to sand slowly. He sinks into the sand, takes his shoes off and then continues running down, a grin spreading on his face as he does._

_He pauses only at the water’s edge, eyes widening as he looks out into the sea spread before him, turquoise water shimmering under the sun rays as the ships on its glimmering surface move further and further away from his sight._

_“I win!” He yells, fist raised in the air as he turns just in time for the other boy, his friend, to reach their destination._

_“You had a head start,” the other boy grumbles, raising his hand to move the black hair of his bangs out of his eyes as he stops next to Hinata. He looks out into the sea just the same as Hinata did, his own blue eyes mirroring the sight before him as he breathes in the sea air and smiles._

_“Always with the excuses, Kageyama,” Hinata teases and sits down in the sand, dropping his shoes next to him and then leaning back, stretching out on the hot sand beneath him._

_Kageyama does not take the bait today and just sits down next to Hinata, eyes still focused on the sea stretching before them. There are a few small ships heading towards the dock, and Hinata focuses in on them with a smile._

_“There’s new traders arriving today,” he says._

_“It’s usually pointless junk,” Kageyama mutters._

_“Maybe,” Hinata leans one of his legs on the other and sets his hands down behind his head, cushioning it as he looks up at the cloudless sky above them now. “But they get to travel to all these amazing places…”_

_Hinata has always been jealous of them. He’s only fourteen and whilst that’s old enough to be learning to sail, alongside his general education and sword fighting lessons, it’s not near enough for him to be allowed out by himself, definitely not to travel to unknown lands with nothing but a sack on his back._

_Kageyama glances briefly at him, hands mindlessly playing with the sand around him. “Hey,” he says suddenly, making Hinata glance over at him. “When we’re older, we should travel the world.” He always had the natural talent to know exactly what Hinata is thinking._

_Hinata springs up from his position, eyes widening and shining with excitement as his body turns towards his friend. Kageyama is the same age as him, but they could not be further apart. Hinata’s family isn’t wealthy per se, but they have always had enough gold to ensure he got a proper education for the times ahead, made sure there’s a roof above his head and food on the table. Kageyama’s family left him when he was young, so the boy had to fend for himself from a young age; no matter how much Hinata offers to help, Kageyama is much too stubborn to ever accept help from his best friend._

_There’s one thing that they both love though, which will never change: the sea._

_Hinata thinks that’s a stupid thought, because he’s pretty sure he loves Kageyama too, with his dark hair and eyes like the sea in the midst of a storm and the small smiles that he tries to hide from Hinata sometimes, especially when the other is being especially foolish._

_“Really?” He bursts out at Kageyama, and the other boy looks directly at him before he smiles and nods._

_“Someone has to make sure you don’t drown,” Kageyama answers._

_“I’m an excellent swimmer!” Hinata argues but then grins wide and comes up with an idea. “Let’s promise,” he says._

_“Okay, I promise,” Kageyama says easily._

_“No, we need to like, show that we’re serious about it,” Hinata says quickly, mind already working through the multitude of possibilities. “Meet me back here at sundown,” he explains and Kageyama nods once before Hinata is clumsily putting his shoes back on and running away from the beach. He spares one more glance towards the sea and a lingering look towards his best friend’s back before he’s smiling and running back home._

_When he returns to the beach at sundown, the sky is pink, slowly turning darker and darker as the colours reflect off the sea before him. He finds Kageyama sitting on the rocks they usually sit on when they’re watching the ships. It’s a good vantage point and ensures that when they spot the merchants they’re familiar with, they can run towards the dock in time to plead them to let the boys practice sailing; there’s one merchant in particular, Ukai Keishin, who always does so with a smile._

_“Kageyama!” The other boy turns around at the sound of Hinata’s voice. He is sitting on the rocks with his legs crossed, elbows leaning against his knees. He smiles as Hinata sits down next to him. “I got you something.”_

_Hinata reaches into his pocket and pulls out the end of the leather cord. As he does, the rest of the make-shift necklace comes out. Kageyama watches it sway, eyes widening slightly at the center detail; hooked onto the leather cord is a gold coin, a hole pierced through the middle of the gold to accommodate for the leather. He stays silent as Hinata ties the ends of the cord together and then looks back up at him._

_“I’ve been saving up gold where possible for a few years now,” Hinata explains quietly. “It’s all so that I could get away from here and sail away on my own ship one day.” He lifts the necklace up and makes it sway. “This is one of the coins from that stash.” He does not wait for Kageyama to say anything – he leans forward, moves the necklace to hold the cord in both hands and then hooks it over Kageyama’s head, letting it drop down to his neck. It rests against his linen shirt there, gold gleaming against the white._

_“Hinata, I – “ Kageyama starts, but pauses there. Hinata understands the reluctance; he knows Kageyama means what he says, he always does, but it is one thing saying it and another acting on it. Hinata knows that sentiment very well. He can save up gold all he wants, but whether his family will ever let him leave this town is another matter._

_He gets shaken from his thoughts by Kageyama, who suddenly leans forward and grabs his hand. Hinata lets out a little gasp but holds still as Kageyama turns his hand palm up. He then presses something into Hinata’s hand and withdraws, looking away towards the sea again, suddenly bashful._

_Hinata looks down at his hand and smiles as he brings it up closer to his face to get a good look. It’s a little ship, he realises, made entirely of wood, whittled into shape by Kageyama – it must be, as Kageyama always has his knife on him and Hinata often mocks him for flipping it between his fingers as they sit staring out at the sea. It is an exact replica of a frigate, Hinata notes, a medium-sized ship with great mobility and battling opportunities: a ship they would always talk about as their future ship._

_“Kageyama…” Hinata starts, a smile spreading on his lips again as he looks up at the other boy. “It’s wonderful, thank you.”_

_Kageyama shrugs, “It’s just a ship.” But the small smile stretching on his lips wipes away all hints of nonchalance from his statement._

_Hinata breaks into a wide grin and launches forward, arms wrapping around Kageyama’s shoulders as he laughs loudly. “You’re always trying to look so suave, Kageyama!” He laughs again as he hugs him and slowly, Kageyama brings his own arms up to wrap around Hinata._

_“I’m not trying that at all, idiot,” he murmurs, but it is muffled by Hinata’s shoulder._

Hinata is an excellent swimmer, he knows. If he fell in the clear water beneath them, he would be able to keep himself afloat, regardless of the waves that the sea would throw his way. The waves would not be the issue, sharks however are a different matter entirely. 

Either way, that is something that he has to figure out quickly because the chances of them getting away are slim.

“Suga, adjust the sheet! We have to pick up as much speed as possible!” Hinata yelled from the helm, hands on the steering wheel as his eyes focused on the ship quickly advancing on them. 

Below him, Sugawara Koushi rushed around to adjust the sheet, assisted by Azumane Asahi. The schooner coming alive under their expert handling, wind blowing at the sails as they rushed over the waves.

“We’re not going to outrun them,” a voice said beside Hinata and he turned to set his eyes on Daichi Sawamura, his business partner. 

“I know,” Hinata murmured quietly, closing his eyes for a second to accept the reality. He turned again to look at the ship following them, the black flag with a skull waving high in the wind. “But we’re not just going to surrender either.” Hinata said and Daichi nodded, understanding. There were only two cannons on the boat, to be used as a last resort if needed; as merchants, they valued speed and the ability to carry wares in their ship, not it’s battling ability. However, it also meant that if they encountered pirates and were not able to escape them, then hope was lost. 

Daichi would load the cannons, Hinata knew, which gave him enough time to make sure his own pistol was loaded properly, hands shaking slightly now. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, glancing back once again at the ship behind them, now closer and closer. 

Daichi returns to the deck so Hinata knows the cannons are loaded. As he does, he embraces Suga, foreheads resting together and eyes closed for a moment; Hinata almost laughs to himself as the phrase ‘calm before the storm’ passes through his mind. What a ridiculous saying. 

He looks out at the other members aboard the ship and they look back at him; Hinata gives them a small smile that he hopes conveys everything he wants to say. They have been sailing together for three years now, their company becoming known far and wide for the services the merchants provided. Hinata is only twenty-three, and in his heart he hopes they have many years of sailing together ahead of them. 

The pirate ship approaches from starboard and everything is eerily silent for a moment. Then, there is the sudden cacophony of “fire!” from both sides and cannonballs fly through the air. 

_The sound of cannonballs rings through the night, accompanied by the putrid smell of burning. Hinata’s mother is yelling for him to hide and his father is re-loading his musket, yelling about pirates invading the port, looting whatever they can find._

_Hinata’s stuck to his spot for a moment, eyes wide and panicked. And then, he sets off into a sprint out the front door, ignoring his family’s yells and warnings. He does not have time to hesitate – Kageyama lives by the docks, and Hinata has to make sure he’s safe._

_He knows it is a pointless worry; Kageyama can take care of himself, has been since he was young, and they would train their sword fighting skills every day, but he can’t help it. It has been a week since he’s given Kageyama the necklace, and whilst it was a symbol of their promise, for Hinata it was so much more. Kageyama had accepted it so willingly, has worn it every day since and cherished it so much, ensuring it would not get damaged no matter what activities they chose to undertake. It was more than a promise of travelling, sailing the world together; it was a promise to stay by his side forever._

_He runs past a burning house, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment at the thought of the people who would not make this raid. It is not a big town, and any absences will be noticed. A horse races past him, neighing frantically as it runs in the opposite direction of the fire._

_When Hinata makes it to Kageyama’s house, he runs straight in through the open door. The space is empty._

_“Kageyama!” He yells frantically, eyes searching for any evidence of what happened. The little table and chairs are upturned, lying on the floor and there is some smashed plates and equipment off to the side. His eyes continue searching for more clues to his friend’s whereabouts, but it is pretty obvious._

_“Tobio, please…” Hinata whispers into the empty room. His knees give out, he finds himself kneeling on the floor, still looking around the space. There are screams in the background and his instinct is yelling for him to move, to run, to hide, to do anything but just sit here. He lifts a hand to his face and as he moves it away, he realises his fingers are wet._

_He stays there, curled up on the floor as the world around him moves on. His arms wrap around himself as he remembers all the memories from the space surrounding him: sword fighting with Kageyama, lying on the floor out of breath afterwards, yelling about their love of ships and what the dream ship would look like, down to the colours of the sails and the hull. Kageyama had always loved the idea of red sails, but Hinata argued it made the ship look too ominous._

_He stays there until the town around him turns silent, the smell of fire lingering but the screams quieting into a mournful stillness. He does not try to stop the tears and he does not see Kageyama Tobio again._

“Hinata! Hinata! _Shouyou!_ ” He snaps out of it as Koushi yells his name, the sound of steel crashing against each other more prominent. “Shouyou, you need to breathe and grab your sword!” Koushi is fighting with a pirate, his sword confident in its movements and it’s such a different side to Sugawara that Hinata has to pause for a moment. Suga is always so gentle, so soft-spoken and so caring and now here he is, keeping up with a pirate step by step. 

Hinata draws his own rapier just in time to parry a pirate attempting a sneak attack on Suga. He takes a quick glance around and notices the rest of his crew fighting the pirates, whilst some of the scoundrels have seemingly found their stock and began carrying it over to their ship. 

There is another volley of cannonballs, Hinata flinches and beneath his feet, the deck creaks, tilting slightly. Hinata parries another blow with his sword and swipes out at the pirate he is fighting with. The ship creaks louder, he can hear the pirate captain yelling about grabbing what they can and he seems in a hurry. 

There is a familiar sound somewhere in the background, but Hinata can’t focus on it right now. The deck moves again, he loses his footing for a minute and that leaves him open to the next attack. The pirate’s sword slices over his shoulder and Hinata cries out in pain, taking an unsteady step back to retreat for a moment. He can feel Suga’s worried eyes on him but yells out for him to focus on his own fight. 

There is more yelling and the pirate in front of him seems to re-consider his actions, glancing at Hinata one more time before retreating, throwing himself over the gap in the ships to get back to the pirate ship. Hinata falls to his knees, hand covering his shoulder as the blood starts dripping over his fingers – it’s not a deep wound, but Hinata hisses at the stinging pain. 

The creaking of his ship gets louder and paired with the pirates retreating, he can tell that it is the end. Maybe he could have held on to safety on a piece of driftwood at the end of this, but the leaking wound on his shoulder will ensure the circling sharks will not leave him alone. 

“Brace for impact!” 

It’s not one of his crew yelling, but one of the pirates. More cannon shots ring out and Hinata is almost taken back to that night of his childhood, but they are not the ones shooting and the pirate ship trying to move off seems to be on the receiving end of the shots. 

“Hinata!” Suga’s by his side, looking over the wound on his shoulder. He rips at his shirt and wraps the linen material quickly around the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. “Hang in there, Hinata.” 

“Suga, what’s going on?” His voice is slurred and he realises that maybe he is losing more blood than he thought. He does not get an answer, and if he does then he does not hear it. He instead looks over Suga’s shoulder, at the pirate ship retreating and the other ship that has suddenly appeared, crimson sails folding as it comes to a stop near their own ship. 

For a moment he thinks they are saved, but then as he squints, he notices the flag of the new ship: white skull and crossbones on a black background. It’s a pirate dispute, fighting over the merchandise they were carrying. 

There are more pirates boarding their ship and though his crew attempts to fight, they are quickly subdued and tied up. Hinata’s yelling then, reaching for his sword as they begin to get dragged over to the other ship. He does not get to use it though. His arm gives out and there are hands grabbing him, pulling him away from Suga and onto the enemies’ ship. 

They are lined up on the pirates’ ship, all kneeling in front of them. There’s shouts and jeers and taunts as they do, but it’s all too much for Hinata. And then, suddenly, there is a silence. 

There are footsteps on the deck and the pirate crew splits down the sides to make room for a person. “Well, what do we have here lads?” There is a murmur above him. “First we fail to catch that wretch Oikawa and now we’re keeping valueless hostages? It’s really not our day.” 

Hinata lifts his head slowly trying to keep his eyes focused. His eyes land first on a pair of knee-high polished leather shoes: he scans the silver buckles on them quickly and moves up, scanning over the black breeches quickly. The man’s shirt is tucked into the breeches, a red silk shirt, much more extravagant than the linen shirts Hinata and his crew wore. He does not need to continue to know that he will find a three-pointed hat on the man’s head – this is the captain of the ship standing before them. 

He continues up anyway, looking to see the face of the man who has saved them only to most likely, make them walk the plank. 

His breathing stops.

It has been nine years, but the man in front of him looks so much like the boy he knew when he was fourteen. His hair is mostly hidden underneath the black hat, but the ends of his black bangs still reach to his eyes so much so that Hinata wonders why he does not cut it shorter. He is taller, taller than he has been before and still much taller than Hinata himself and the way he carries himself is confident, sure of his own ability and with a spark of something, almost, dangerous. He has grown up, but Hinata could recognise his face anywhere. And then he catches his gaze, focuses on him and those blue eyes of his – still the same colour as a raging sea, with the same level of passion behind them. 

“Kageyama,” he whispers, wonder in his voice as he cannot quite believe who it is standing before him. 

One of the pirates moves towards him, fist clutching at his shirt over his chest as he brings him closer, fury sparking in his eyes: “It’s Captain Kageyama to you.” He growls. 

“Kuroo,” the Captain – no, Kageyama, Kageyama Tobio, his _best friend_ – murmurs and the pirate releases Hinata again. Hinata falls back down to his knees, body shaking from the exertion of trying to keep himself up. 

Kageyama looks over him, eyes slowly sliding down to notice all the details of Hinata’s current state. His eyes linger for a moment on the wound before he seems to come to a decision. 

“Throw them in the brig,” he finally says. 

Hinata wants to yell, wants to scream ‘don’t you remember me?’ at him and fight his way forward just so he can wrap his arms around his former best friend. The best friend he thought was dead. The best friend who promised to see the world with him. 

The last one stings the most. 

As they are being pulled away, Hinata quickly glances up at Kageyama’s neck – there’s no sign of the necklace he gave him nine years ago there.


	2. Chapter 2

When Hinata met Sugawara, the other had been a friendly merchant just starting out in the business. He had been sitting at a bar, drinking away his sorrows at the latest news of his stock being robbed by pirates en route to his location when he spotted Sugawara and recognised him from previous business dealings. Throughout the whole evening, as they discussed plans that were frankly outrageous (but nobody would tell them that after this many drinks) Suga had kept that kind smile on his face. Hinata thought he’d never get tired of it, and in that moment against his better judgment, he thought that he would probably trust Suga with his life. 

That part hasn’t changed – Hinata still trusts Suga with his life, but there is no smile on the other man’s face now. He’s in the cell with Hinata, hand desperately holding onto his shoulder with pieces of cloth he keeps ripping from his own clothing, trying to stop the bleeding gash on Hinata’s shoulder. The rest of the crew had been dispersed between the other cells, but he can still hear Daichi’s worried questions from behind the beams blocking him from view. 

“I’ll be fine, Suga,” Hinata assures him quietly. There’s a loud roar of laughter above them, in the crew’s quarters and Hinata is once again reminded of their exact predicament. He’s on a pirate ship. A pirate ship whose captain is nobody other than his old, long lost best friend. _Best friend_ , Hinata sneers to himself. He once would have called Kageyama much more than that, but seeing him again, he’s not sure what else to say or even think. 

“They can’t just leave you here like this,” Suga whispers, looks up at Hinata and Hinata sees the worry swimming in his eyes. It’s not a deep wound, but if it continues to bleed like this, he will be in trouble – he knows Suga can see that, and that’s even before he considers any infections that might develop. 

“Koushi! How is he?” A voice comes across the room and Hinata recognises it as Daichi. 

“He needs it cleaned and bandaged,” Suga replies, but keeps his voice low to avoid attracting any unnecessary attention. Hinata notices his voice is shaky, and takes a moment to consider what this situation means for his crew. 

“I’ll speak to the Captain,” Hinata suddenly says, voice firm as he sits up and groans at the pain in his shoulder. “I’ll barter for him to let you out when we dock.” 

“What are you going to barter?” It’s Asahi’s voice now, quiet and hesitant. 

“Anything it takes,” Hinata assures him. He can see Suga sneaking glances around the brig, eyes naturally searching out Daichi. “Anything it takes.” 

They fall into a natural silence, but he doesn’t have to wait long to get his wish. Two pirates come through the door; one of them is the tall pirate who had grabbed Hinata first on deck, yelled at him for disrespecting their captain. The other is much shorter, and Hinata had not seen him yet – his hair is dark, apart from a patch at the front that’s lighter and there’s something still so young looking about him. 

“What exactly is the Captain planning to do with them?” The shorter one asks, something akin to excitement in his eyes as he looks around. 

“You know as much as me,” Kuroo replies and comes to a stop in front of the cell Hinata and Suga had been shoved into. Suga stands, and though he’s shorter than the pirate, his body language is just screaming about how far he is willing to go to protect Hinata, still crouched behind him. 

“That’s a shame,” the other pirate replies, crosses his arm and leans on one of the cells off to the side. He whistles slightly, impressed and then laughs, “A real shame, seeing as some of them are so good looking. Think I can change the Captain’s mind and keep this one for myself? Wasteful for him to feed the fish.” The cell he’s standing next to, Hinata is fairly sure is Asahi’s. 

“Do you ever stop talking Nishinoya?” Kuroo turns to him impatiently. 

“Not often,” Nishinoya replies, shrugging again. “You should be nicer to me, Kuroo. Next time I make your food, I’ll spit in it.” 

“Maybe it’d taste better.” 

“Take that back!” Nishinoya exclaims. He leans back on the cell and laughs again, “Being Quartermaster really inflates the ego, does it not?” 

Kuroo doesn’t reply and slots the key in the cell, a cutlass in his other hand. “The Captain wants to see the short one,” he says to Suga, but Suga doesn’t budge. Hinata stands weakly, grabs onto the wall for support and places his hand on Suga’s shoulder. 

“It’s fine, Suga,” he says softly, but the worried eyes that turn on him tell him Suga doesn’t believe him. “I’ll be fine,” he assures again and takes a step around Suga. Kuroo opens the door, grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him out before locking the cell again just as Suga springs forward to try and stop him. His shoulders slump as he’s too slow. 

Kuroo puts the short blade away and shoves Hinata forward, making him walk in front of him. Nishinoya says something else to Asahi and then moves to follow them, door shutting with a creak behind him. 

Nishinoya walks up beside him and eyes him up quickly. “You’re shorter than me,” he comments. 

“Feel free to take your leave any time now, Noya,” Kuroo says firmly. Nishinoya lifts his hands up in a defensive gesture, shoots Hinata a teasing grin and then walks away. 

Kuroo and Hinata continue down the dark corridors until they stop in front of a double door. Kuroo knocks briefly, there’s an answer from the other side and then he opens the door, pushes Hinata through it first. 

It’s the Captain’s headquarters. There’s a large table to the side, a large map laid out over the top. In the middle, there’s two large armchairs that look very comfortable and expensive (no doubt stolen) and a desk before them. Once he reaches the desk, Hinata noticed the Captain himself leaning on it, arms crossed like he’s been waiting. Even under the low light in the room, Kageyama still looks breath-taking, so Hinata quickly focuses on other parts of the room to stop thinking about it. Kuroo shoves him into one of the chairs in front of Kageyama. 

“Thank you, Kuroo,” Kageyama murmurs, not moving from his perch on the desk. 

“No problem, Cap’n,” Kuroo gives him a mocking salute and a wide, toothy grin that’s verging on what looks like a teasing smirk. Hinata reels back for a moment at the informality of it, especially when this is the same crew member that had reacted so aggressively to Hinata calling his Captain by his name. “Let me know if there is anything else I can do.” 

Kageyama hums low in acknowledgment, finally looks up from the ground and shoots Kuroo a smirk. “There is something,” he says, “in the future, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t disrespect our guests.” It’s a polite statement, but there’s an edge to Kageyama’s voice that Hinata had not ever heard before. 

Kuroo falters for a moment, his eyes slide back over to Hinata and suddenly there seems to be something like understanding glimmering in his eyes. “Understood.” 

“I won’t be joining for cribbage tonight – tell Kozume I’d like to keep my gold this time,” Kageyama adds almost light-heartedly and Kuroo laughs before nodding once and leaving the room, his laughter still ringing down the hallway. 

Now alone, Hinata doesn’t know where to look. He wants to scream, wants to yell and wants to cry in relief and that’s a lot of different reactions to try and understand when Kageyama is now looking directly at him. He remains seated in his chair quietly, and he blames this reaction only to the blood still dripping down his arm and onto the nice cushions of the chair. He doesn’t look directly at Kageyama; he won’t, until he has decided what to say. 

Kageyama uncrosses his arms and sighs. He finally leans away from the desk and turns to grab something from one of the drawers. Hinata looks up briefly and recognises bandages and for a moment feels slightly relieved. 

Kageyama comes back to the front of the desk holding a wet cloth in his hand, a bandage in the other but hesitates for a moment. “Take your shirt off,” he finally says. Years ago, a sentence like that would have made Hinata laugh and he would have teased Kageyama endlessly for trying to get him out of his breeches. Now, Hinata says nothing and doesn’t move. “As stubborn as ever,” Kageyama growls when he sees no reaction, and it’s this statement that makes Hinata look up. 

“You remember…” Hinata whispers. 

“Of course I remember, you fool,” Kageyama snaps, eyebrows furrowing as he takes a step forward and grabs at Hinata’s healthy shoulder, pulling on the material of his shirt. “Now take your shirt off so I can clean your wound.” 

Hinata slaps at the hand holding him and Kageyama retreats a step, eyes widening a fraction. “What is wrong with you?” Hinata’s voice is low as he shakily gets to his feet, stands in front of Kageyama and dreads the fact he has to look up at the other. “You pretend to not know me, attack my crew and now here you are, pretending to care? That’s a pretty fucked up game, Kageyama.” 

Kageyama swallows, eyebrows still furrowed as he seems to think over what to say next. Hinata doesn’t give him the opportunity. The dam breaks quickly, and he continues. 

“Nine years ago, you disappear and leave me mourning you, thinking those filthy pirates had gotten to you. Do you know what that did to me?” He sways slightly on his feet, but he’s determined to stand his ground. “The sound of cannonballs and the smell of smoke are with me always, and I still dream about that night – I don’t know which dreams are worse: the ones where I find your home empty or the ones where you’re lying there dead and I was too late to save you. I remember the burning houses I ran past to get to your home, the screams of people pleading for help as pirates pillaged everything they have ever earnt themselves.” Kageyama closes his eyes, leans back on the desk unsteadily, but Hinata doesn’t stop. “And nine years I lived but never moved on, thinking there was absolutely something else I could have done to save you. I sailed half the world, trying to make true on the promise –” Hinata stops there and swallows as he can feel the tears gathering in his eyes, wipes his arms across his face quickly to get rid of them and continues angrily, “—to make true on a promise that we made to each other, that I made with my _best friend_ and here you are… one of _them_.” He doesn’t bother wiping the next stream of tears that flow down his cheeks, too angry to look away from Kageyama. “Not just one of them,” Hinata growls, “but their captain.” 

“Are you done?” Kageyama snaps suddenly, eyes opening and Hinata isn’t sure what to make of his expression. Those blue eyes that he’s so used to seeing are furious, but it’s not anger that seems to be directed at Hinata. There’s a certain glassy gleam to them too, but Hinata knows better than to expect Kageyama to cry; Hinata had always been the more irrational, emotional of the two.  
Kageyama takes a step forward, places a forceful hand on his healed shoulder and pushes him back down in the chair. Hinata tries to struggle, but then Kageyama reaches back to his belt and pulls out a small knife so Hinata stills in shock. Kageyama moves forward with the knife and slices Hinata’s shirt open above the wound. 

“I recognised you on approach,” Kageyama says, but Hinata can tell he’s trying to keep his tone neutral. “My crew did not attack you, and you are very welcome to leave at the next port if you feel so inclined, but for now I’m going to clean your wound and you will sit still for it.” 

Hinata lets it happen, suddenly so drained from his explosive monologue. “Is that all you will say?” He questions, softly now. 

“Are you willing to listen?” Kageyama asks in reply as he begins to clean the wound, making Hinata hiss slightly. Once clean, he begins applying some sort of an ointment to it. Hinata consider the question, gets distracted by how good Kageyama’s long fingers feel massaging his shoulder like this and has to focus again before he can answer. 

“Do I have a choice?” 

“You always have a choice,” Kageyama tells him. “I made my choice. I’m sorry that it meant I had to leave you behind.” 

Hinata reels at the statement, suddenly looks up at Kageyama. “What do you mean you made the choice?” 

Kageyama sighs. “When the pirates attacked,” he begins explaining as he motions for Hinata to lift his arm so he can bandage the wound properly, “they targeted the wealthiest in our town.” Hinata knows that, so why does Kageyama pause there? 

Kageyama takes a step back, nods once at the finished job and leans back on his desk again. He’s still wearing the same clothes Hinata saw him in earlier. 

“Your family were well off so I knew your home would be a target once they caught someone who would be willing to sell you out. I had to do something.” Kageyama sighs but continues. “I headed over there, but I was too late. There were three pirates already heading your way, so I had to think of something. I know we learned sword fighting, but a real fight is nothing like our practices.” 

Hinata knows that. He’s had his fair share of fights. 

“I stopped them, and I asked them to take me to their Captain. They laughed at me, but I pretended to be you, pretended that my family would pay a handsome fee to have me back. They abandoned their quest and took me back to the ship.” 

“Are you insane?” Hinata murmurs, mouth opening to say more but remaining agape. “That was not your choice to make.” 

“I know,” Kageyama agrees. “But I was always going to be the boy who’s family abandoned him in our town. This was a chance for me to do something good, do something better, do something that would make sure you were safe and –” 

“It is not your job to keep me safe!” Hinata yells. 

Kageyama chuckles and looks away. “And yet here we are, nine years later, after I just saved you from pirates yet again.” Hinata says nothing to that. “I know it’s not my job,” he says in reply to Hinata’s outburst, “but you, Hinata, you had your whole life ahead of you and you were going to be great.” Hinata’s heart stutters when Kageyama finally calls him by his name. Something inside is yearning to hear the soft _Shouyou_ leave his mouth again like it would all those years, but now is not the time. 

“That’s not fair,” Hinata whispers. 

“Let me finish,” Kageyama stops him. “The moment I got on board, the Captain could tell I wasn’t who I was pretending to be. But it was too late to go back, and I knew you’d be safe. So, they decided to keep me aboard so I could scrub the deck. I sailed with them for years, and even met some friends amongst the crew; five years ago, I chose to leave and sail on my own, but some of them chose to go with me.” He pauses and frowns. “Some I’d rather never see again.” 

“You could have done anything else in the world, but you chose piracy,” Hinata says, and he’s aware he’s still bitter. As far as he is concerned, pirates ripped him away from his best friend, continued to plague him as he tried to make a living and even now have ripped away the remains of what he had left. But, he supposes, he wouldn’t have seen Kageyama again if all of that had not happened. 

“You always thought too highly of me,” Kageyama replies and it pulls at Hinata’s chest how lowly he thinks of himself. “I tried to keep our promise, you know,” Kageyama adds suddenly. 

Almost involuntarily, Hinata’s eyes skirt down to the other’s chest again, where he would expect the chain to dangle, but he sees nothing. Kageyama seems to notice the glance, though he says nothing. 

Kageyama clears his throat. “I’m sorry about your ship,” he says. “It was a fine schooner.” 

“It was,” Hinata agrees. “And my crew? What becomes of them now?” 

“What do you think?” Kageyama asks. “We can drop you all off at the next port or tell me where you’d like to go, and I’ll take you there.” 

Hinata ponders for a moment. A part of him wishes Kageyama had said those words to him under different circumstances – how he’d wished he could just point in any direction and Kageyama would sail them there. “That would be useful. Thank you.” 

“Don’t thank me,” Kageyama says. “I’ll tell my crew that none of you are to be hurt and let your friends out.” Kageyama sighs and looks away. “Hinata, I –” 

“Whatever you’re about to say – don’t.” Hinata stops him. He stands up from his chair and considers his next move. “I’m not happy about what you did. It was not your choice to make and it is not your job to keep me safe. Even if it was, you’ve been doing a pretty shit job the last nine years.” He steps closer and Kageyama seems to tense up at the proximity. Hinata sighs softly and lifts his hand to gently rest it on Kageyama’s shoulder, not laying his palm on him but instead just gently skirting his fingers along the shoulder, like he’s checking that Kageyama really is here, in front of him in the flesh, unhurt, warm and breathing. 

He trails his hand lower, fingers ghosting over Kageyama’s collarbone, his chest and stopping there. For a moment, Hinata just checks that the heart beneath his fingers is beating. It is, a steady (though slightly fast) _ba-dump, ba-dump_.

He keeps his eyes focused on his movements as opposed to Kageyama’s reactions. The other is watching him, watching his facial expressions, movements, eyes darting around his face and hair like he is memorising every detail. 

He lifts his hand again, fingers moving softly higher up now. He reaches the material of Kageyama’s shirt turns into smooth, tan skin and hesitates for a moment. He glances briefly up at the man – the pirate – before him and seeing no argument, continues by light skimming his fingers up Kageyama’s neck, touching the warm skin briefly. Kageyama closes his eyes and breathes out, as if he’s been holding his breath this whole time, just waiting for Hinata to touch him. 

His hand continues traveling up and then it’s tangling in his hair – he needs a haircut, Hinata decides, but for now the silky black ends curl slightly under his touch, most likely due to the sea air. Kageyama leans his head back into the touch and Hinata has a moment where he can’t breathe. 

The man before him is this dangerous pirate, the Captain of a large crew aboard a great ship, cannons lining its’ sides so heavily, Hinata is sure they could take down a warship just because Kageyama willed it so. And yet, here he is, so exposed and vulnerable in front of Hinata, letting him touch him as he pleases, letting Hinata do anything that will earn his forgiveness. 

Hinata would never say it, but he forgave him the moment he saw him. 

He rests his hand on Kageyama’s nape and the other opens his eyes, looks over to Hinata again. Then, Hinata pushes forward, rests his forehead on the other’s shoulder and brings his other arm up to wrap under Kageyama’s in a tight embrace. Kageyama breathes out sharply again and then he’s hugging Hinata back, just as tightly, his hold symbolic of the desperation he feels to be forgiven, to be with Hinata again, just to be. 

“I missed you,” Hinata whispers. 

“Stay here tonight,” Kageyama whispers back, and Hinata takes it to mean the same thing. He briefly glances over to the other side of the Captain’s quarters and the big four poster bed that resides there. 

“And you?” Hinata wants to ask him to stay, to never leave him again, but he’s not quite sure he can say that yet. 

“I have some business to attend to first,” Kageyama explains and then pulls back and out of the embrace. It wouldn’t be the first time they have shared a bed, but that was nine years ago and they’re adults now – there’s slightly different connotations to it. 

“Okay,” Hinata agrees, nods once and then steps away. They’ve come to a finish, Hinata thinks, and his body agrees as suddenly the events of today take a toll on him and he feels exhausted. He shoves his boots off and collapses on the bed the next second. From the bed, he watches as Kageyama comes closer, a soft smile playing on his lips, before he pulls the sheet over Hinata. 

There’s one more question playing on Hinata’s mind right now, so sleepily he says: “You mentioned someone stealing something from you – was that the pirates that attacked us?” Kageyama nods in a silent reply. “What did they take?” 

“Their Captain was a friend of mine, before he led a mutiny against me,” Kageyama explains briefly. “They escaped with a lot of our loot,” he adds and then heads towards the door. “He also stole something very important to me.” Hinata looks up as Kageyama reaches up to touch just above his chest, where the gold coin on a chain he received from Hinata would normally rest. 

“Oh,” Hinata murmurs. 

“I intend to take it back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the hits, kudos and comments. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too :)


	3. Chapter 3

When Hinata steps out onto the deck, he notices that the sky is clear of clouds and the sun is high up on the horizon. The next thing he notices, is that all eyes are on him. 

“Hinata!” He turns and sees Sugawara heading his way, and he can’t help but smile at seeing his dear friend out and about, finally out of cramped space of the brig below deck. Kageyama kept his promise; Hinata wonders why he’d ever doubt that this would be the case. Sugawara stops in front of him, hands resting on Hinata’s upper arms whilst he looks him over quickly. He seems content with what he sees, so he turns a dubious eye on Hinata, both confusion and anger hidden under the cautious look over he gives him. “Mind explaining why we were released from the brig?” He’s worried, Hinata realizes, at what Hinata had bartered to free them. 

He’s not quite sure how much information Kageyama would like him to disclose. Even so, Hinata gives a careful look around him and clears his throat, which seems to bring the rest of the crew out of their trance and they return to work. He raises an eyebrow at that, because it should not have been this easy – he makes a mental note to ask Kageyama later exactly how much information he shared with his crew. Hinata pulls Sugawara over with him, standing to look out into the sea at the edge of the deck. 

“It’s not what you think,” Hinata explains, but Suga’s wary gaze doesn’t waver. “The Captain and I… know each other.” 

“How so?” Suga questions. 

“We, um,” Hinata chuckles uncomfortably, “we used to be friends – nine years ago.” Suga raises an eyebrow. “Best friends!” Hinata clarifies quickly. He looks away from Suga and scratches his neck awkwardly. “I thought he was dead.” Suga looks over him as if contemplating whether to believe him. Hinata notices the moment Suga decides to believe the story, as his eyes widen at the new clothes Hinata is wearing. 

When Hinata woke up in the Captain’s quarters, Kageyama was nowhere to be found so it took Hinata a moment to even believe last night had happened how he remembered it. The bed was comfortable under his bruised body, the sheets soft and the space next to him was still warm, the only indication that the conversation he had last night with his old best friend was real. There were clothes left out for him on the bedside table and whilst they were a bit big, he dressed quickly into a fresh deep red linen shirt and a dark pair of breeches before pulling on his boots and wandering out of the room. 

“Okay,” Suga finally says. “I would like to know more about your friend, though.” Suga adds. 

“So would I,” Hinata chuckles and turns to lean on the taffrail, looking out into the vast sea on the horizon. “We’re safe with him, that’s all you need to know for now. They can drop you off where you please. I can ask him to pull into – “ 

“What do you mean ‘you’?” Sugawara stops him. “What are your plans?” 

“I don’t know yet,” Hinata confirms but sighs. “I, I haven’t seen him in so long, I can’t leave yet. He’s looking for something that is important to me as well, so I – “ Hinata stops and isn’t sure how to continue. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Sugawara smile slightly. “A friend, huh?” 

Hinata ignores the look and clears his throat to change the subject. “Where’s Daichi and Asahi?” 

“You know Daichi likes to keep an eye on people,” Suga shrugs and turns to look towards the quarterdeck. “He’s keeping an eye on your friend, but more so on the quartermaster, I think – Kuroo. Asahi is… well, he was dragged away by one of the crew members we saw yesterday, but I cannot quite remember his name.” 

“The short one?” Hinata questions. “Nishinoya.” 

“That’s him,” Suga nods. “Something about cooking – I think he is in charge of the food on the ship. Asahi should fit right in there.” Hinata nods in agreement. 

“Hey, there you are!” They both turn at an unfamiliar voice, and soon after there’s an arm being slung around Hinata’s shoulders. He winces slightly as it rests a bit too heavily on his injured shoulder. He looks up to find another crew member grinning down at him, grey hair with black roots in an upright hairdo, sticking up all over in a messy way. “Not a morning person, are you, small fry?”

Hinata puffs up at that and crosses his arms over his chest, shrugging off the arm around his shoulders. “I am,” he confirms stubbornly. “Can I help you?” 

“Name’s Bokuto,” the other pirate says, pointing to himself and the grin still persists on his face. “I was supposed to show you to some food, show you where everything is on the ship.” He explains. 

Hinata frowns, “Is Kageyama not – “ 

Bokuto cuts him off by clearing his throat, his hand going up to mess with his own hair in a move Hinata might understand as an awkward gesture. “The Captain’s preoccupied,” he explains, but something changes in his smile which almost resembles pity. “But worry not! You’re in good hands!” 

Hinata nods and starts following Bokuto, even though his chest feels tight at the lack of further communication with Kageyama. They haven’t seen each other in so long, and Hinata understands that Kageyama is most likely focusing entirely on tracking the other pirates in order to get back what is his, but he cannot help feel disappointment at not being able to see him. 

Bokuto shows them the crew’s quarters, though doesn’t seem to indicate that Hinata will be sleeping there, all whilst showing Sugawara where he and the rest of Hinata’s crew will be sleeping. Bokuto’s been sailing with Kageyama for five years, as long as he has been sailing on his own ship so Hinata feels at ease around him – Kagayama has been in his company so long, it can only mean that he is invaluable. 

And Bokuto can talk. He seems excited about the prospect of most things, once in a while even managing to transfer that excitement to Hinata when they begin talking about ships. Hinata can see the small smiles Suga keeps sending his way discreetly, and tries to practice some restraint – he loves discussing ships with people, but he can’t forget that the people he is surrounded by are all pirates. It makes it quite difficult to remember that when Bokuto keeps calling him ‘small fry’ as if the nickname is the best thing he has ever thought of and they’ve known each other for years. 

“And here is the kitchen – “ 

“But that’s not efficient! How do you expect to feed such a large crew with this?” 

“It’s quite filling. And this way you don’t have to sacrifice taste for the sake of quanitity.” Asahi’s voice reaches him just as they enter the kitchen. Asahi is standing over a few large pots and pans, Nishinoya by his side with his hands on his own hips, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“Hinata!” Asahi smiles as he spots him. “It is good to see you’re looking better.” 

“You too, Asahi,” Hinata smiles, eyes glancing over to Nishinoya again who shoots him a huge grin. “Are we – “ Hinata pauses, looking between them again. “Are we interrupting cooking lessons?” 

“Well, fancy breeches over there thinks we could be making better grub,” Nishinoya motions to Asahi and then laughs. “But I told him that spending copious gold on food is not particularly our intention.” 

“Whatever gets us better food,” Bokuto whispers, turning away to grab a plate and some leftover bread from the shelves. Nishinoya proceeds to yell at him for not respecting the food he makes, and Bokuto keeps a discrete grin on his face throughout. 

Suga stays behind with Asahi and Nishinoya, and Hinata understands that it’s Sugawara’s nature to ensure the whole crew is okay – he seems to have deemed Bokuto no threat. Bokuto leads him back to an area below deck where they eat, and sits himself down on one side of the table while Hinata sits opposite of him. 

“So,” Bokuto starts and when Hinata looks up from his food, mouth full, he notices the teasing grin on the pirate’s face, “you and the Captain? What’s the history there?” 

“What do you already know?” 

“I met him when he was putting together a crew to sail his new ship,” Bokuto motions around them to show that this is the same ship. “He doesn’t say much about his life before he started sailing. He just said you’re,” Bokuto pauses, for a moment unsure of his words, “said you’re someone special to him.” He finishes the sentence and huffs out a laugh. “So that’s why I’m askin’.” 

“We’re friends,” Hinata clarifies, and he’s almost sick of saying this sentence today and it’s not even midday. Maybe there’s a part of him that just does not like saying that word: friend. 

“Just friends?” Bokuto asks and Hinata looks up. He has the same look in his eyes that Sugawara did, like he doesn’t entirely believe that’s the whole truth. 

“I wasn’t aware my crew were so interested in my personal life,” another voice joins the conversation, and Bokuto laughs as Kageyama sits down beside him and claps him hard on the shoulder. Hinata looks over to him at the same time Kageyama glances at him and their eyes meet; Hinata can’t help but smile, and Kageyama turns away almost bashfully. 

“So mysterious, Captain,” Bokuto mumbles petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Kageyama gives him a quickly glance and then returns to looking at Hinata. “I will take it from here, Bokuto – you can join Kozume for a stock check.” 

Bokuto shrugs and grins at Hinata. “You will have to miss out on my charismatic ship tour,” he says. “But it was nice to meet you, Hinata. I am sure we will speak again soon.” He leans forward on the table between them and drops his voice to a whisper, “Especially if you fancy a round of cribbage.” 

Kageyama shoves him out of the seat, lets him land on his ass on the floor before he shuffles over into his space. Bokuto laughs it off, stands up and shoots Hinata a wink before he leaves. 

“The whole crew will rob you of your last gold in cribbage,” Kageyama explains with a chuckle. “It’s their favourite form of entertainment, even when they have work to do,” he rolls his eyes. 

Hinata finishes his food and chuckles. “Sounds to me like you know all about it.” 

Kageyama shrugs and gives Hinata a small smile, “I join occasionally.” He then drops the smile and clears his throat, “I apologise for leaving you by yourself. We’re tracking Oikawa’s ship best we can and if I let him get too far ahead of us, I might not find him for months,” he explains. He drops his gaze to the table, voice lowering, “And thank you for staying in my quarters last night.” 

Hinata shrugs, “Sure beats the beds in the crew’s quarters!” He laughs. “Definitely some perks to being the Captain, huh?” He can’t help but feel his heartbeat quicken at the idea of staying in Kageyama’s room again, of maybe even seeing the man sleep beside him this time. Before his mind can wander further down ridiculous ideas such as his arms wrapped around Kageyama and his head resting on his chest, Kageyama laughs in reply. 

“At times,” he says. “We should be docking in Kita soon. I hope that’s where we find Oikawa.” He stands up from the table and stretches, so Hinata has a moment to really look at him, complete with the leather breeches and navy blue silk shirt, all completed with the three-point hat adorning his head. “But first, I’ll make promise on my end – let me show you around the deck.” 

He finishes his food and follows Kageyama out. They’re met with a chorus of voices as they surface, the somber shanty filling the air before slowly fading out as heads turn their way; no, not _their_ way, but Kageyama’s. 

Kageyama rolls his eyes. “What are you looking at? Back to work!” 

A chorus of ‘aye, Captain!’ came as a unified reply and heads turned away from them, the beginnings of another shanty rising in the air. Hinata follows Kageyama whilst observing the crew. It was a big crew, he noted, and whilst they worked, they smiled, and laughed, and cheered and joked – this is not what he imagined being onboard a pirate ship to be like. 

Kageyama pauses in his walking and turns back towards him, something new glimmering in his blue eyes. “Let me show you the rigging,” he says, a small genuine smile stretching across his lips and Hinata’s breath catches in his lungs. There he is. There is the boy Hinata remembered; he was no longer a boy, but that sense of wonder glimmering in his eyes at the mere concept of a sailing ship was still the same. 

So he nods and Kageyama grabs him by the arm, pulling him over to begin explaining the way his ship works. Hinata knew, of course, perfectly well how to sail a ship. Whilst it was a schooner they were sailing when caught, Hinata had sailed bigger ships in the past. Kageyama leaned closer, voice an animated whisper as he pointed to the main mast and briefly mentioned different parts of it, chuckling slightly as he launched into a story which had meant Bokuto was left stranded halfway up a mast before realizing he had no easy way down.

“Thirty-two cannons,” Kageyama points out as they lean over the edge of the ship, grinning below at the cannons. Hinata paused for a moment there, frowning slightly as he suddenly remembered he was on a pirate ship – these cannons had no doubt attacked multiple innocent sailors, robbed them of everything they held dear. “They keep up with the naval convoys with no problem.” 

“Is that the targets?” Hinata askes quietly. 

Kageyama stopped smiling altogether, leaning back to straighten back up and look over at Hinata. “More often than not,” Kageyama replies. He rests his hands on the taffrail, fists clenching as he looks back over to the horizon. “We have the firepower to attack the big ships, we need not bother with small ships, so they go unharmed.” 

“They are still human lives you’re taking,” Hinata whispers. 

Kageyama scoffs. “How lowly do you think me?” He says, and his voice is back to cold and stern. “We don’t kill – we loot and get on.” Kageyama sighs, crosses his arms and turns to Hinata. He leans his hip against the taffrail and Hinata can’t help but notice the wind mussing his hair and clothes, even though he’s still scowling. “If we killed people, my ship would not be so recognizable. Unfortunately, when you let people live, they spread stories.” 

Understanding dawns on Hinata. “Wait,” he starts, then looks around the ship quickly, his mind connecting the rumours he had heard in the past while sailing. He looks back over to Kageyama and his eyes widen. “You’re the pirate they’re calling the King of the Seven Seas?” 

Kageyama’s lips quirk in a scowl. “I hate that nickname.” 

Hinata laughs, because of course Kageyama would hate it. But relief flooded his chest, knowing that Kageyama very much cherished lives even above riches. 

“Have you thought about where you’d like to dock yet?” Kageyama asks as they head back up to the quarterdeck together, side by side. 

Hinata hesitates. He hasn’t given it much thought yet, so he says as much. “I wanted to help you get the necklace back,” he says quietly as they climb the stairs up. 

Kageyama stops and turns to look at him, stopping midway up the stairs and leaning back on the taffrail. He crosses his arms and grimaces. “It will be dangerous,” he warns him. 

“I can handle it,” Hinata assures. Kageyama gives him a once over, eyes lingering as they glance up and down his body as if trying to see himself whether that’s the truth. “We trained in sword fighting together.” Hinata points out. 

Kageyama shoots him a smirk. “I’ve had quite a lot more practice since.”

Hinata narrows his eyes and takes a step closer. Kageyama tenses as Hinata moves even closer, body pressing to Kageyama’s from head to toe, and Hinata’s face is so close, he has to fight the urge to grin. Then, with a swift move, his hand moves across the belt strapped to Kageyama’s waist – then he’s holding a knife to Kageyama’s throat. 

Kageyama swallows, eyes glancing down to stare directly into Hinata’s own. There’s a challenge in those eyes, almost as if he’s challenging Hinata to see what else he will do to make his point. Briefly, Hinata glances around Kageyama’s face for any signs of distress, but the other is not even slightly worried. Against his better judgment, his eyes cast a glance to Kageyama’s lips, parted slightly but his breathing even – he wonder what it would be like to lean forward, capture his lips in his own, how they would taste (would they be salty from the sea air?) and how Kageyama would react; would he pull him closer, would he grip his waist tight, would he snake a hand into Hinata’s hair and pull as their kiss became heated? 

There’s movement around them and the ship falls silent. Kageyama has the decency to grin down at him as he puts his hands up in a defensive stance. Hinata grins. “Not as much practice as you think,” he says, moves his hand back away from the other’s throat, flips the knife in his hand simply for the show, and then holds the hilt out to Kageyama. 

Hinata glances sideways, notices hands on swords and guns from the rest of the crew. Above him, Kageyama laughs low, a laugh that Hinata remembers well from when they were kids. His eyes glance quickly over to his crew as he barks out a louder laugh, this one clearly meant to put them at ease: “He’s a feisty one, isn’t he, lads!” 

The rest of the crew joins in the laughter and Hinata takes a small step away from Kageyama, to put them at a comfortable distance from each other again. As the crew returns to work, Kageyama gives him another teasing smile. “Okay,” he says, and Hinata feels relief at the fact that Kageyama indirectly agreed for Hinata to stay here for a bit longer. “But Hinata,” Kageyama starts again, and Hinata thinks he’ll never get tired of Kageyama saying his name, “this is my ship, so if I give an order, you will follow it. Understand?” 

Hinata struggles to answer for a moment, not used to the authority in Kageyama’s voice. Then, he simply nods and Kageyama seems satisfied. They continue up to the quarterdeck. 

When they arrive at the wheel, Kuroo steps away and hands the control over to Kageyama, who grabs the wheel as if it’s the most familiar gesture in the world. From the corner of his eye, Hinata sees Suga and Daichi as Kuroo heads their way. 

“Kuroo seems to get along with your friend,” Kageyama points out. 

“Maybe,” Hinata says, “Daichi is just very wary of strangers – he’s got great instincts, so he either doesn’t trust Kuroo, or thinks him good.” 

“Good to have someone on the crew with such sharp instincts,” Kageyama comments, his hands loose around the knobs on the wheel as he turns it slightly. 

“Suga introduced me to Daichi, and we entered into business together,” Hinata begins explaining as he leans on a nearby bannister. “We have been sailing together for years. I trust them all with my life.” 

“Merchants…” Kageyema says quietly, as if wondering to himself. “Is that how you pictured it?” 

Hinata smiles slightly. “It’s all well and good trying to sail the world, but you quickly realise that you need gold to do it,” he says. 

“Aye,” Kageyama murmurs, but the smile fades from his face for a moment. “And what was the plan from here?”

“Sail for a few years, save some gold,” Hinata shrugs, and suddenly he feels a bit too exposed, “pick somewhere to stay, settle down and start a family.” 

Kageyama seems to freeze before he regains his composure and his head turns towards Hinata with a confused look. “Settle down?” 

Hinata sighs, and he knows perfectly well why Kageyama is looking at him this way. “We were kids, Kageyama,” he says, “we can’t sail forever. You grow up and realise that is not realistic. There are other important things in the world.” 

Kageyama shakes his head and looks away from Hinata, fixing his gaze ahead on the horizon instead. “I’d sail forever,” he says quietly. Hinata considers for a moment, whether this is the big change in the past nine years – perhaps they’ve grown apart in their interests. But, maybe Hinata could sail forever… He glances over at Kageyama quickly again before looking away. Maybe he could sail forever if he had the right person with him. 

“We should reach Kita by nightfall. Why don’t you get more rest?” Kageyama says after a moment of silence. 

“Is there anything I can do to help around?” Hinata says instead, not thrilled about the concept of going back to the room by himself. 

Kageyama shoots with a teasing smile, “I’m sure some of the crew would be happy to teach you how to play cribbage.” 

\---

After spending time with Kozume (though he insisted Hinata called him Kenma) learning how to play cribbage, and then assisting another crew member Lev with the rigging, Hinata took Kageyama up on the offer of a rest, especially as his shoulder had begun hurting again. Curled up underneath sheets that still smelled like Kageyama, he fell asleep almost instantly. 

When he woke up, the sun was beginning to dip low in the sky, and as he walked past Nishinoya in the hallway, he was informed that they would be docking soon. 

When he made it to the deck, Kageyama called his name from the quarterdeck. “When we dock, I want you to stay here,” he said. 

“No,” Hinata replied simply.

“Do you not remember the conversation we had before?” Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows. 

“I remember,” Hinata said, “but Kita is a lawless, dangerous town and I will not be staying here while you hunt down the pirate who took something important from us.” Hinata froze as the words slipped out of his mouth, already feeling his skin turning crimson as Kageyama’s eyes quickly darted towards him. 

“Us?” Kageyama whispered, and then seemed to shake himself out of it, frowning again. “I can deal with him myself – if you’re there, that creates a bigger risk to your safety, and I won’t allow it.” 

“Oikawa doesn’t know me,” Hinata pointed out. 

“Not personally,” Kageyama murmured, “but he’s not stupid. He heard of you.” 

“Why would he –” Hinata cut himself off as realization dawned on him. “You talked about me to him. Why?” 

“Am I not allowed to miss my best friend?” Kageyama gave him a grin, but even after all these years, Hinata knew him better than that. It was a smile to mask the truth. 

“You wouldn’t say things like that to just anyone,” Hinata says, thinking out loud. “Even most of your crew don’t know our history.” 

Kageyama sighs, defeated. “We used to be a thing,” he says, grimacing. “Oikawa and I. We sailed together for years before that, and when I left my old crew, he was with me.” Hinata listens intently, even though something in his stomach is churning, and he quickly realizes that the discomfort is _jealousy_.” Then, when he got bored, he led a mutiny against me before returning to steal from me.” 

“Sounds like a healthy relationship,” Hinata comments. 

Kageyama rolls his eyes. “It was never really to do with feelings. We sailed, we fucked and we pillaged together – that’s all.” 

Hinata nods, but can’t help the jealousy still stirring those thoughts in his head. Does Kageyama miss him? Had Oikawa not led a mutiny against him, would they still be together right now, sleeping in the bed Hinata slept in, looking out into the ocean where Kageyama and Hinata had done so together? What doesn’t make sense still is why Hinata was mentioned between them. Would Kageyama really trust Oikawa enough to tell him all about his childhood with Hinata?

“What are you going to do?” Hinata asks, even though that’s the last question he wants to ask right now. 

Kageyama turns towards him and grins. “There’s a saying I once heard from a wise pirate,” he says, hand reaching down to rest on his belt, lined with various weapons. “If a man plays the fool, then it’s only fools he’ll persuade. But appear to be the devil, and all men will submit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed to 5 chapters now, as I had to split this one. 
> 
> I created a Twitter to obsess over HQ and BNHA - follow me [ here ](https://twitter.com/faded_blueeyes) for that and random story rants.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

Hinata has never been one to listen to Kageyama when they were younger; this has certainly not changed now. 

Kageyama sets out for the town of Kita by himself, outfitted in his everyday clothes; his belt is filled to the brim with various weapons and a black cloak hangs around his shoulders, hiding it all from sight. Not that he needs to hide it - this is Kita, after all. 

Hinata waits for a few minutes, and then sets out after him. 

He follows Kageyama to a tavern, as rowdy and loud as the rest in Kita, and waits for a moment before opening the door, dodging a drunk man stumbling through it and following inside. He ensures his hood is pulled up, giving his bright orange hair; he has to look hard to find Kageyama, perfectly camouflaged against the rest of the pirates in the town. 

Kageyama steps over to a table, pulls his hood down and simply sits down opposite one other man. Hinata follows, sits on a mostly empty table behind them, shielded by the man Kageyama is meeting. 

The man at the table hardly acknowledges Kageyama, finishes pouring himself a drink of mead from a large jug on the table. He has dark brown hair, curls sweeping outwards, and there is an air of arrogance around him. 

“Not like you to drink alone, Oikawa,” Kageyama says, tone neutral. Hinata quickly joins the dots - Oikawa is the person Kageyama has been chasing this whole time. 

“Are you offering to join me?” the man replies, looks up from his drink to level Kageyama with a measured gaze. 

“You don’t seem surprised at my appearance,” Kageyama replies instead. 

“Your ship was spotted in the dock. It’s quite memorable,” Oikawa murmurs, swirling the mead in his mug before he brings it up to his lips. “I suppose you’re here for your treasure?” he asks. “You should have brought your crew to help with that.” 

“I was hoping we could settle this peacefully,” Kageyama says. “We’re both adults.” He then gives Oikawa a smirk, one that Hinata has never seen before. “And I don’t need my whole crew with me to kill you.” 

“Ah, so we are…” Oikawa trails off. “But I’m not sure if ‘peaceful’ is in your vocabulary, Tobio.” 

“Shut up,” Kageyama snaps. “I’m just here to take back what’s mine.” 

“I did you a favour, Tobio,” Oikawa says, and Hinata can see him shrug casually from where he is sitting. “You need to move on.” 

“Move on?” Kageyama questions, one eyebrow raising out of curiosity. 

Oikawa shrugs again, crosses his arms in front of his chest, rests them on the table. Hinata sees Kageyama eye the movement, looking slightly relieved when he realises Oikawa isn’t holding a weapon. “You don’t care about the gold. It’s that little pendant, isn’t it?” Oikawa rolls his eyes. “Even when we were together, all you’d talk about is ‘Hinata this, Hinata that.’ Hinata  _ blah blah blah _ . I got sick of hearing it,” Oikawa explains. Hinata watches Kageyama’s face for a reaction, wonders if the redness in his cheeks is the rise in temperature or embarrassment. “Way to make a man feel self-conscious, Tobio,” Oikawa adds, and Hinata can almost hear the pout in his tone. 

“Oh, spare me, Oikawa,” Kageyama rolls his eyes. “Don’t make yourself out to be the victim. And Hinata is none of your business.” 

“Oh?” Oikawa murmurs. “So, you didn’t chase me halfway across the sea for this?” Oikawa reaches under his shirt collar and tugs on something. Hinata sees a flash of gold, eyes widening as he recognises the pendant he gave Kageyama so many years ago. 

Kageyama recognises it as well, eyes narrowing at the move, focused solely on the chain dangling from Oikawa’s hand. Hinata can see Kageyama’s hand twitch under the table, fingers wrapping around his pistol. Hinata breathes in, slowly reaching for the dagger he stashed under his coat, ready to pounce into action the moment Kageyama deems it necessary. 

“Of course not,” Kageyama replies. “I chased you halfway across the sea because you betrayed me and stole a lot of my gold,” he says smoothly, eyes trained on Oikawa again. 

Oikawa clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “For a pirate, you were always a shit liar,” he says. 

Kageyama seems to think this is the moment to react. His fingers tighten around the pistol, shoulders squared, and Hinata knows he’s going to take this opportunity to put a bullet in between Oikawa’s eyes. 

“Ah, ah,” Oikawa interrupts, “before you move, Tobio, I would take a good, hard look at your situation.” Kageyama instantly glances over Oikawa’s shoulder, directly at Hinata. Hinata wonders if he knew that he’s been sat here this whole time; maybe Kageyama was just trying to protect him, but not reacting to his presence. Even more likely, he probably knew Hinata was following him the entire time. Hinata meets Kageyema’s eyes over Oikawa’s shoulder; he senses a hint of panic in those blue orbs and gives him a confused look, eyebrows furrowing at what could possibly put that look on his face. 

Hinata feels something press against the back of his head and sighs, arms uncrossing and hands lifting in a defeated gesture. 

“Unlucky,” the man behind him says, presses the barrel of the gun harder to Hinata’s head. He moves to grab Hinata’s arm and yanks him out of his seat, other hand pulling down his hood. Oikawa turns then and gives Hinata a slow smile, gaze flickering between him and Kageyama. 

“I assume that’s the reason you’re here?” Oikawa turns to look back at Kageyama and raises an eyebrow. “Really, I’m hurt, Tobio - here I thought we could still work something out.” He dramatically rolls his eyes and sighs again. “But I see that’s not a possibility any longer.” 

“Oikawa, you-” Kageyama stands abruptly, the growl on his lips and hand moving towards his own pistol. He freezes though, as the man behind Hinata shoves him forward, gun still aimed at him. 

Everyone in the tavern around them does not give them a second glance. Scenes such as these are a regular occurrence.

“Hinata, I presume?” Oikawa addresses him. He motions to the seat next to him and Hinata is shoved towards it. Hinata sits, and doesn't meet Kageyama’s eyes again. Oikawa observes him, cocking his head slightly. “Hmm,” he hums after a moment, then turns to Kageyama, “I don’t see what you see in him.” 

Kageyama springs up then, moves so fast Hinata doesn’t even realise he’s made a move until he’s standing opposite of Oikawa, pistol pointed. Kageyama’s eyes flicker down at Hinata, he swallows and then looks back to Oikawa. 

“You always did love dragging Iwaizumi into your crap,” Kageyama says, eyes flickering to the man standing behind Hinata. Hinata follows his gaze, realises that Kageyama isn’t pointing his pistol at Oikawa, but in fact at the man behind Hinata - Iwaizumi. 

Oikawa tenses up slightly, though remains sitting. His eyes glance between Kageyama and Iwaizumi, ignoring Hinata for now. “We have more men in the tavern,” Oikawa says. “You won’t make it out of here alive.” 

“I’ll take my chances,” Kageyama says, finger tracing the trigger. 

Oikawa stands up sharply, draws the sword at his hip and points it at Kageyama. “If you were to hurt Iwa, you’d find this blade pierced through your chest within seconds.” 

“Always so dramatic, Oikawa,” the man behind Hinata - Iwaizumi - murmurs. 

Oikawa frowns his way. “I’m trying to protect you!” 

Iwaizumi sighs behind Hinata. They stay there like that for a moment, nobody moving.

“Oikawa,” Kageyama breaks the tense silence. “You can keep it; all I want is the pendant.” 

“Oh?” Oikawa raises an eyebrow. “So I let you walk out of here with the pendant and next month you’re chasing my ass again for the rest of your treasure?” 

“No,” Kageyama says, “I get the pendant, and I leave you alone.” he grimaces. “As long as you stay out of my way, that is.” 

“Kage-” Hinata starts to protest and is promptly quietened with a sharp glare from Kageyama. 

Oikawa glances at Hinata again, but there’s almost something softer in his gaze now. “He means that much to you?” he murmurs. His eyes flicker towards Iwaizumi and then back to Kageyama. 

“Stop being stubborn, Oikawa,” Iwaizumi grunts. “I don’t feel like fucking dying tonight.” 

Oikawa nods once. “Fine,” he says. “It was good while it lasted, huh, Tobio?” he adds and then reaches up to pull the pendant off. He hesitates though, just holding it in his hand. “Why?” he asks. 

“What?” Kageyama snaps. 

“Why do you care so much about it?” Oikawa asks, eyes darting up to meet Kageyama’s again.

“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi warns low.

“I just want to hear it,” Oikawa says with a shrug. 

Kageyama eyes him carefully. He momentarily glances down at Hinata, gaze softening for just a second, before he’s back to glaring at the other pirate captain. “It reminds me of a time before,” Kageyama simply says. 

“A time before you were a blood-thirsty pirate, right Tobio?” Oikawa smirks. He drops the pendant on the table and takes a step back, moving his sword slightly away from Kageyama. Kageyama instantly reaches for the pendant, shoving it into his breast pocket, his gun still pointed at Iwaizumi. 

“Hinata, let’s go,” Kageyama says, voice firm but there’s a wavering note there, especially as he glances at Hinata for reaction. Hinata simply stands up - if he’s panicking inside, he’s not going to show it right now, especially when Kageyama is looking at him like he might bolt any second now. 

Hinata leaves first, weaving through drunk men and women alike as Kageyama follows closely, keeping his eyes trained on Oikawa and Iwaizumi. The moment they step outside and the cold air hits him, his hands start trembling, breath hitching as he tries to process how close to death they just came. 

At that moment, Kageyama slaps him around the back of his head. 

“What the hell was that for?” Hinata instantly whirls on him. 

“I told you to stay on the ship, stupid,” Kageyama explains simply, beginning to walk back already. He briefly reaches into his pocket and looks over the pendant, before putting it back safely in his pocket. 

“Well, you’re the one who left me with a cryptic message, stupid!” Hinata argues back, but begins to follow Kageyama back to the ship anyway. “How was I supposed to just stay there, when I knew you were going to be an idiot?” Hinata doesn’t give him the chance to retaliate, instead continuing. “And that’s what you were - an idiot! Meeting Oikawa yourself, you could have been killed!” 

“I was going to be fine, Hinata,” Kageyama murmurs. 

“Stupid,” Hinata huffs, crossing his arms as he continues following. He can see Kageyama’s ship in the docks now. 

There was something so strange yet wonderful in seeing Kageyama like that, though, Hinata thinks. It’s not a look he’s ever seen on his best friend, not a look he was ever given the chance to see on him; that glint of danger in his eyes, the arrogant disposition fully backed by the skills he so clearly possesses. The way he’d pointed a gun at the other pirate, not even a second of hesitance in his movement, and would have happily pulled the trigger if it meant sparing Hinata. 

It’s a scary thought, Hinata notes. The ability to kill for someone. It’s almost laughable though, because Hinata was there for the exact same reason after all. Had he been happy to kill Oikawa? Of course not, that wasn’t his field of expertise, far out of his comfort. But in that moment, in that tavern, when he’d reached for his dagger… he would have done anything to not lose Kageyama again. 

“Kageyama,” Hinata says, breaking the silence between them. When Kageyama doesn’t answer, he says it again, firmer. “Kageyama.” 

Kageyama stops, but doesn’t turn to look at him. 

“Kageyama,” Hinata says, taking a step closer toward his best friend, “why did you do that?” he asks again, quieter this time. “It’s just a pendant - it’s worthless.” 

“It’s far from worthless,” Kageyama says, voice low. He doesn’t turn to look at Hinata. “It reminds me of-” he stops, shoulders sagging. 

Hinata reaches out, setting his hand on the pirate’s shoulder. “It reminds you of times before this,” Hinata says, “I understand that. Things were easier when we were younger, but you’ve built something good for yourself, there’s no need for-” 

“It’s not that,” Kageyama snaps. “It’s not that things were easier - I don’t want to remember those years because they were  _ easy _ . I want to remember them…” he trails off again, hesitating. “I want to remember them because they were with  _ you _ .” 

Hinata’s face instantly softens, mouth opening slightly to say something, anything. Kayegama remains turned away, the line of his shoulders hard, tense even where Hinata’s hand remains. At this moment, all Hinata wants to do is tell him that this is all okay; they’re okay, and they have all the time in the world to make up for it all, all the time in the world to spend together. But that’s not the reality, so all that comes out of Hinata’s mouth is a softly spoken “Tobio…” 

Kageyama shakes his head and then starts walking again, making Hinata’s hand on his shoulder fall away. “It doesn’t matter,” he says. He makes his way up to the ship and only once he steps onto the deck again, does Hinata find it in himself to rush after him. 

“No, wait,” he says, catching up. “How can you even say that?” Hinata murmurs, anger slowly seeping into his voice. “Of  _ course _ it matters.” 

He grabs Kageyama’s shoulder again, putting in more force than before this time; he pulls, wanting the other man to finally face him. Kageyama turns and Hinata freezes in his spot. He takes in the slightly agape mouth, as if there’s something Kageyama wants to desperately say, he finds those dark blue eyes focused solely on him, taking him in like this is the first time he’s seen Hinata. 

“You sailed halfway across the world, Kageyama,” Hinata says, voice thick with the emotion that suddenly crashes into him, knocking his breath away. “Just to find the pendant that I gave you when we were stupid teenagers. Of  _ course _ it matters.”

Hinata fists his hands into the front of Kageyama’s shirt and pulls him forward, crashing their lips together. 

It’s a short kiss, enough to set off the butterflies in Hinata’s stomach. When he pulls back, hands remaining fisted in Kageyama’s silk shirt, he can see that Kageyama is doing his best to hide the shock on his face. “I– Kageya–” Hinata doesn’t get to finish his sentence. 

Kageyama steps forward, hands coming up to cup Hinata’s cheeks and tilts his head up, warm lips finding his and Kageyama is kissing him again. 

This kiss is longer, much more frantic. Kageyama kisses him hard, angles his face to find the perfect angle, then runs his tongue over Hinata’s bottom lip; Kageyama kisses like he does everything else: thoroughly, determined and eager to be the victor. Hinata surrenders to him instantly, for once, lets Kageyama explore his mouth with his tongue, letting him do as he pleases. Hinata sighs softly into the kiss, one of his hands moving up to weave through Kageyama’s hair, pulling ever so slightly when Kageyama bites at his lower lip, eliciting yet another - very different - sound from Hinata this time. 

They pull away, breathless and wordless. 

“Kageyama,” Hinata whispers softly, keeping his eyes closed. He changes his mind. “Tobio,” he whispers, even softer if possible, then opens his eyes. He’s faced with Kageyama looking just as wrecked as he feels, lips kiss bruised and gaze heated, eyes devouring Hinata where he stands. “Take me to your room,” Hinata whispers low, moving up to kiss him again. 

He places his lips on Kageyama’s, feeling the other man nod in response and then there are hands gripping his thighs. Kageyama lifts him easily, with Hinata wrapping his arms around the pirate’s neck as he continues kissing him, and takes them both inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been forever since I updated this, but there is only one more chapter left! And the rating will most likely be going up for that. 
> 
> Hope you still enjoyed it! You can find me [here](https://twitter.com/surveycorpstddk) on Twitter if you want to yell about either Haikyuu or BNHA.

**Author's Note:**

> lol watch me write a pirate au without knowing a thing about boats
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this! It's all planned out, so hopefully won't take me long to complete. 
> 
> Inspired by the  Rumrunners series by Esselle, who continues to amaze me with her writing.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Find me on Tumblr here.


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